Forever and Always
by CosplayRin
Summary: John is worried. Karkat isn't there yet. And something bad happened. Oneshot, AU, Songfic based on "Forever and Always" by Parachute. K-plus for mild language and character death.
1. Chapter 1

John looked at the window. Why isn't Katkat here yet? He isn't usually one to be late to things. He paced around a bit, pulling out his phone. He called Dave, but he hadn't seen him. Neither had Jade. Or Terezi. He looked back to the window, but no one was there. Something was wrong. Before he could do anything, the phone rang. Thinking it was Karkat, he rushed to the phone.

"Hello?" He asked.

"John Egbert? Hello, we are calling you to advise you that something has happened to Karkat Vantas..." The voice on the other end said. She said more, but John stopped listening. Something happened…? He thought back to the winter…

"_Uh…John?" Karkat said, looking at his feet. "I, uh, want to ask you something…"_

"_Go ahead!" John said to his boyfriend._

"_Well, Uh, I love you. And I want us to be together. Forever and always…." Karkat looked straight at John and knelt on one knee, taking out a small box. "John Egbert… will you… marry me?"_

_John looked at Karkat awestruck. Marriage? He was shocked… and then realization swept in. _

"_Of course." He said, smiling, close to tears. They hugged each other as Karkat slipped the ring onto his finger._

John pulled up to the hospital entrance and walked into the building. It smelt so sterile, it burnt his nose. He walked up to the front desk, and the nurse politely led him down the never-ending maze of corridors. The nurse talks to him, informing him of what happened. He couldn't hear anything but muffled static and his heart pounding in his chest. They finally got to a room marked _Karkat Vantas_ and John breathed deeply and walked into the room, trying his best not to cry.

His lover was there, laying on the bed, multiple tubes and machines hooked up to him. Karkat smiled softly as he looked over to see John.

"Hey there, fuckass." He croaked, his voice horse and strained.

"Hey Kar." John said back, his voice cracking ever so slightly at the end of the sentence. He walked over to the side of the bed, grabbing hold of Karkat's hand and holding it tightly.

"I'll give you a moment." Said the kind nurse, whose nametag read Nepeta Leijon. She walked out and the door gave a soft click.

The two of them sat in silence for minutes, hours, who knows, before Karkat spoke up.

"Tell me a story." He said.

"What kind of story." John asked.

"….Our story." He replied, squeezing John's hand with what little strength he had.

John told Karkat all the stories he could think of, the future and how they will live on the hillside with children, and a dog. How they will grow old and happy together. Karkat only intureupted with vulgar comments a few times.

"We'll be together even when we're both old and wrinkled." John smiled slightly, half believing what he just said. He frowned a little. "Because I'll always love you."

"I call bullshit." Karkat said, a forced chuckle leaving his lips. John got an idea, though. He pressed the little button on the bed that called the nurses' station.

"Hello, can I help you?" A nurse asked.

"Have Nurse Leijon come in. And have her bring up the chaplain. Some rings would be nice too." John said into the speakers. There was a pause.

"Uh, sure, sir. Right away." The nurse said. There was a click and the line disconnected.

"John, what the fuck?" Karkat said. He understood, though. He understood perfectly.

Verses were said, rings were exchanged, and the entire nursing staff was there, laughing, crying. Karkat was laughing too. John was crying.

" I wasn't kidding about the future we'll have, Karkat. We'll stay there forever, and always, no matter what. Rich or poor or happy or sad or whatever else… We'll be together, and we'll always remember that we love each other…" John said, looking straight into his lover's eyes.

"I love you forever," Karkat said, his voice too low for comfort, the beeps on the heart monitor too slow, "forever and always. Just remember…" a painful breath "even if I'm not there. I'll always love you." A coughing fit "forever and always."

"F-forever and always?" John was crying silent tears.

"Forever and always." Karkat whipped John's tears away the best he could with his weak, shaking hand. John grabbed it and held it close, Karkat holding his hand in return.

All to soon, there was a strangled gasp and the grasp went limp, leaving the only sound in the room to be the disturbed tone of the heart monitor.


	2. Epilogue

_"Are you sure you want ot go through with this, Mr. Egbert?"_

_ "Yes. I'm certain."_

_ "You probably won't make it. There's a chance he won't, either."_

_ "I said I'm sure."_

_ "Alright. I suppose we should start now, before it's too late._

"Hey John… I realized something… I never did say thanks." Karkat said, sitting in front of the tall gravestone. John's father was there already, so the grave was already cleaned and some small flowers on the side of it. Karkat just kind of stared for a while, trying his hardest not to cry.

"I brought you some flowers. I heard that's something people get their spouses on their anniversary. They're blue. That was – no, is- your favorite color, right?" Karkat laid the blue bouquet on the grave, the roses seeming to cry their shades of sky and baby and navy blue. There was another long pause, and Karkat thought of what John would say.

_"Wow, Karkat, I never knew you had a romantic side! Who would've guessed!"_

"Yeah, whatever, just be grateful…" Karkat laughed ever so lightly, tears springing to his eyes.

"…You know, I thought of joining you. After all, it should have been me. We could join each other in heaven, and live happily ever after. I came so close, just a cut or pill or bullet away. But I realized…. You wouldn't like that. You would beg me not to. You _did_ beg me not to. So I'm honoring your wish. I'm going to stay, and live life for the both of us. Oh, I got that house on the hillside I promised you. And some dogs. One's named Casey… I know you don't like that movie anymore but it just seemed… right. The other is named Kankri, and it yips like no tomorrow. Seriously, it never shuts up. But that's okay, I guess. You would like him." Karkat was trying so hard to keep the tears back, saying anything that came to his mind. "I've been keeping my health in check. I took up running, keeping my mind busy. Terezi finished law school, you know… Rose also finished schooling. She can officially say "trust me, I'm a doctor" without it simply being a reference. And… she worries about me. I don't know why though. She should worry about Dave. He seems more broken about it than me…"

Karkat looked to the greying sky. "You know, It doesn't feel like three years. It's like… I just expect you to come back and hug me, just like you used to. I would call you names, you would kiss me, and all would be better. Hell, I might just smile. But… I know that's not going to happen…"

A light rain started falling.

"Why did you do it? I mean, I get you loved me or whatever, but… But giving someone your heart and giving them your lungs…. There's a difference, Egbert. I big fucking difference…"

"I miss you, fuckass."

Yup, it was just rain.


End file.
